Populism as the vanguard of political disaffection in Europe: The phenomenon of “Podemos” political party in Spain

Abstract

In recent years we have witnessed the re-emergence of political populism in Europe. The main objective of this article is to delve into the concept of populism, in order to explain the phenomenon of the “Podemos” (We can) political party in Spain. Our theoretical starting point is understanding populism as a porous or weak ideology (Mudde, 2004), determined by a particular communicative framing (Jaagers & Walgrave, 2007), that employs a specific political strategy (Weyland, 2001). Populist communication tends to idealize the people, propound an anti-elitist rhetoric opposed to the status quo, and seeks to create emotional bonds with citizens. Our hypothesis is that the success of political populism in Spain has more to do with the political crisis than with the economic crisis. In this respect it reflects a ‘new vanguard of political disaffection’, particularly with regard to the traditional political parties. Economic problems are usually considered to be one of the causes that explain political changes and social protests. However, declining economic conditions do not necessarily provoke the emergence of populism. According to Albertazzi & McDonnell (2008), Pasquino (2008), Freidenberg (2007) and Ulloa (2016), political or institutional crisis, and more specifically the crisis of the political party system, is a key factor that explains the emergence of populism.